Anytime someone introduces a new tool to you with the preface “I took thiswith me to Iraq,” you know it’s probably worth paying attention to them! Recently I volunteered with a local community service organization called Rebuilding Together, which specializes in home renovation for the elderly to help make homes warmer, safer and drier. During that, of all places, I accidentally stumbled upon the Garden Weasel Golden Claw Cultivator. A volunteer working with me brought this tilling and aerating tool to the site that he said he swore by, even to the point of taking the tool with him to Iraq when he was stationed there. Our group had really been struggling with some very dry, compacted soil and deep weeds around a neglected front porch. After repeatedly pounding out chunks of soil with shovels and filling our growing trenches with water to soften the soil, we were ready to explore new ideas! The tool handed to us was a multi-pronged garden tool with a bent handlebar that reminded me of my childhood bike more than any hand tool I was used to. I’m pretty sure my first thought was that I had seen this on an “As seen on TV” commercial, and I doubted that the tool could be as great as the glowing review that came with it – after all, how couldI have never heard of this tool if it was that great?

In a very short amount of time I realized how quickly the other volunteers were making progress with the new tool - and the garden bed! The other volunteers were actually taking turns using the tool by choice, so they could get a feel for it, and were talking excitedly with each other about how easily this tool cut through the soil. To make a long story short, that morning we used the one tool to till an area for a garden bed, to dig holes for the installation of mature Azalea bushes, to mix topsoil into the garden, to pull weeds out of sidewalk borders areas, and to remove grass for the installation of sod.

In the time since this tool has been brought to my attention, I have used a few similarly designed tools, such as the “Hound Dog” from Garden Hound Tools, but their design, and usefullness has not been as impressive. This Garden Weasel Cultivator has a trademark curved handlebar (that similar products lack), and six sharply angled 6 inch prong legs in its ergonomic design. It comfortably, and smoothly multiplies your upper-body strength exponentially through the tool, breaking through tough weeds and soil in seconds, without creating the strain on your wrists, and shoulders that other tools can cause. As a small framed woman myself, I greatly appreciate any tool that saves my back and shoulders from strenuous repedative movements, and which can maximize the upper body strength I have to get a job done quickly. This tool surpassed both my expectations, and that of coworkers, for whom I later provided this tool to. In my opinion, it is vastly superior to all other look alike tools! Since my initial purchase of the tool for my own use, I have shared it with every age group, including the elderly, and always received glowing reviews of the tool afterward.

Ordinarily, I do not get very excited about yard tools, but this one tool has created such a buzz with anyone I have shared it with, that I wanted to pass the information along to other gardeners! If you are looking for a good all around, multi-purpose garden tool, then absolutely check out the Garden Weasel! If you have a neighbor who owns one, ask to borrow it for your next small yard project, and see how much quicker you can get the job done. I really cannot recommend this product enough!

I highly recommend this product. You can pick up your own Garden Weasel at Amazon and save yourself back alot of pain, and time!

Your thoughts: Have you used the Garden Weasel before? What were your thoughts? Have you used other similar tools with great/little success? Let me know!